Hello world!
Decided to take on the topic of eczema today! Nowadays, there are actually quite a number of people who have eczema problem. Some minor and some major problem.
For me, I have a major problem. Sometimes I find myself scratching in the middle of the night unconsciously. And that is terrible. Eczema has actually integrated into my life that I have gotten used to it. It gives me ugly legs that makes me always envy other girls who have flawless legs. After many years, I have learnt to live with it. That it will always be a part of me that I can't change.
I had eczema ever since I was in primary school. When all of us were made to sit under hot sun and all, that's when all the perspiring came and the eczema came. Initially it wasn't such a big deal, I thought it was normal and people perspire a lot and itch at the back of the knee. My arms too at the joint. So began the scratching until my mum noticed the red splotches at those particular places.
She then brought me to see a skin specialist, and to me that was "Eczema" cream. From then I knew I had eczema already. But as I grew older, I became more active, running around, exercising, producing more sweat. So I guess sweat was one of the causes of my eczema. Also, prawns started to become one of the things that makes my eczema active :( I know, that's really sad. So I try not to eat so much prawn, more or less stay off it, and only eating it on rare occasions.
Eczema has been such a pain in my life. Honestly there was a period of time I was so ashamed of my legs. I can't control the itch, I would unconsciously scratch it be it when I am awake or sleeping, more of sleeping because when I am awake if I am very much aware, I try not to scratch. But if I am concentrating on something then I might scratch because I wouldn't be aware.
With this problem, I know I can't be a model. Yes I know, I used to want to become a model. But because of my ugly legs, I don't think I would ever be able to become one. Also, I wore pants, jeans, practically stayed away from shorts, skirts and dressed because I was so ashamed of showing my legs to the public. I didn't want people to know I had this problem, I didn't want to see people judging because of my legs.
I am very thankful for the constant support of my boyfriend Moses, because he always kept pushing me to wear dresses for him when we go out. He accepts that I have ugly legs and loves me for who I am. This gave me the confidence and the attitude to not care about what other people think. My mum has been quite critical about my eczema,and she touches it too when I tell her not to because honestly like the simplest touch can set my eczema spots itching.
Recently I have also went to the National Skin Centre as my eczema was getting way worse than before. Like there were lesions and all. The thick ones that ooze out clear liquid. So the doctor gave me a not so strong steroid cream, and also she and her mentor explained to me about my body, that I have more 100x more IgE in my body. IgE are actually things in our body that react to allergens that our body touches or encounters, be it environment, the things we touch. So my body goes on crazy mode and reacts like a mad .... how do I call it, mechanism? So thus the itch comes.
Eczema can't be cured yet, but it can be controlled. These are the few things I've picked up and would like to share with those who have the same problem;
1. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
I get patches on my hands as well also because I think I am allergic to latex gloves, and me studying science means gloves on during practical sessions. But nowadays I use non-latex gloves to prevent the itch. I always bring a tube of hand cream with me everywhere I go because it is really good and helpful to curb the itch. Also nowadays I bring a small tube that I bought from daiso and stored aloe vera gel in it. For me aloe vera gel has been pretty effective, even though it may not work as well for other people. I am also using QV cream, that is my night cream before I sleep, to put on the eczema patches to keep it moisturized throughout the night, as I sleep with air conditioning as I will perspire if it gets too hot and stuffy and eczema will become worse.
2. Shower with WARM water
Hot water actually makes the eczema become more active.
3. If you know what triggers the eczema, be it food.. try not to eat them so often
Well, it helps to control the itch...
4. Take showers often (with warm water)
It is good to keep yourself clean especially with eczema, because you need to wash away the sweat.
5. With steroid creams, they do help, but apply thinly
Steroid cream curbs the itches, they really do, but because they thin the skin, so use sparingly. I know it's difficult to stay off the cream but yeah. Moisturize after the cream dries!
6. Go swimming often
The chlorine in the pools actually help to dry up the eczema spots! But for girls, maybe just take a dip without wetting your hair because chlorine damages hair.
7. Refrain from wearing thick clothing on eczema spots
Wearing thick clothing, for me on the legs where my eczema is at the worst, it makes it worse as it gets really hot in the middle of the day and my legs will start sweating and the itching will come.
I think that is all, but to those who have eczema, don't be ashamed. It is what we are born with (: I sometimes also do get it on my face when the weather in Singapore gets hot and humid, it goes to my neck and sometimes back.
When I feel like the eczema on my face is coming back (starts to have little spots) I stay off makeup for like a week and just use sunblock on my face.
Don't care what other people think. There are many of us with the same problem! Don't be ashamed of yourself. Love yourself for who you are, the scars and the spots on your body caused by eczema don't define you.
x
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
My experience as a NSman's girlfriend
Okay I sort of got really bored because currently I am on a one week break from school after the exam. So I decided to venture into this topic. Please take note that this is my own experience.
Let's start from BMT (:
Honestly the time from after Moses graduated, well when we both graduated from polytechnic, it was full of new experiences, like both of us finding jobs to earn money. But the crucial point was I think about a month before he was going to enlist? Things got a bit more edgier, for me I guess I was not very comfortable thinking that I was only going to see him only maybe once a week or not at all, given that at that point of time I was working full time in a laboratory. I think what kind of helped was cutting down the time we spent together during poly, like we were meeting each other every single day in poly including saturdays and sundays because sunday is Church day and at that point of time I already started attending church with Moses.
We tried not to find each other or we lessened the time we saw each other in school because it was our final year in poly and I had Final Year Project and he had modules and internship. His internship was during the first half of the year, so it was a huge transition because they could only mean that I would only see him during the weekends. Or if we were even lucky that he finishes internship early for that day he could come down and see me at school and we would go home together. So during the second half of the academic year, I got busy with more things to do in FYP and had to start preparing for the FYP report, while Moses also had a FYP to do and with his modules. So if he had to go off earlier he would come by to the laboratory in school (I was doing internship-linked FYP in school so I was in school doing FYP and spent all my time in the labs) to tell me that he was gonna go home first.
So with this little transition we sort of got used to only seeing each other maybe once or twice a week, sometimes slightly more. But as the enlistment date started to inch closer, I got more insecure. I was scared that he would leave me (for what I also have no idea why) as there were so many rumors and stories about young couples breaking up during the time when the guys go to army. I was worried that because of the time we were able to see each other was gonna be cut down so much, I feared for the worst for this relationship. I knew that during this period I won't be able to call or text Moses as much as I want to, I can't do it freely, as in he wont be able to reply freely because they will be busy training. We definitely talked this out and Moses assured me that there's nothing to worry about, honestly it's all just guys.
On enlistment day, I took leave to go with him to tekong with his family. Although I felt like I wasted hours of my time there because most of the time we were separated from each other. But the breaking point was when we had to say our goodbyes, not going to see him for 3 weeks confinement, was so painful for me. I held back my tears because I didnt want him to worry about me, but in the end he told me he knew I was tearing up already.
The 3 weeks of confinement was a new experience to us, not being able to talk to each other freely. But what helped was looking forward every night to the phone calls. It was my most treasured time I had with Moses and he would tell me what happened that day, what he was facing. It helps me to understand what he was going through and I know being there for him and listening to him was good enough for him.
As the days go by, it was kind of manageable because being able to hear his voice at the end of the day made everything so much better. And getting to see him on the weekends was always something to look forward to after a 5 day work week. However, there are days that don't go as well for me, especially when I need to talk to him urgently and needing his comfort, he can't be there for me and only I can wait for his call at night. Also, during his field camp for a week was the worst because there wasn't gonna be any calls for the whole week. Also the night before his field camp started, the last phone call he could make before the field camp was very very rushed. Because, my parents insisted on catching Ah Boys to Men ON that very night and insisted that I go too when I have already watched it once. So I had to answer the phone call outside the cinema, I nearly cried.
POP was a day for the recruits that they were happy about because after that would be their new vocation and new experiences, whether they would go to Officer Cadet School or other places like medics. And the boys had a one week break from army. Sort of like a short holiday. It was also a day that I felt so proud of Moses for being able to go through BMT and finally passing out! Also, it was a day that I never ever got up so early before. HAHAHA. Even though the whole thing was sweaty and smelly, I was just glad to be there to share this moment with Moses.
Moses eventually got posted to OCS, so so proud of him! It is not easy to make it into OCS, to be eligible to get into OCS, one must obtain a Gold award for IPPT. Eventually Moses signed on with the AirForce.
Things from there started to go smoothly because after his training for OCS airforce was finishing and with the social night dinner, commissioning... then he was off to his next vocation. I guess really the hardest part was the beginning during BMT and field camp, but from then it was quite alright as both of us gotten used to it. His next vocation allowed him to go home everyday which was better, sometimes if possible we would meet in the evenings for dinner, but that was very rare given that I had evening classes to attend, and I need to use the time after work to study if there weren't any classes scheduled that evening.
Moses has now gone into studying at NTU, he's staying in Hall which is sort of nearer to me but it's the other end of the country for him hahahahaha! We meet sometimes during the week, but during his and my exam week we don't meet up because us meeting up means not studying already. So to let each other focus and do our best for our exams, we tend to not meet up unless for dinner only on rare occasions. We still meet up on Saturdays, but nowadays because I am in my final year of school, some weekends I have full day classes so we only can meet for dinner. Other than that, it's pretty alright (:
As a girlfriend, no doubt it hasn't been easy, but what we should do as girlfriends of those going through army, is to;
1. Be his pillar of support
Just be his listening ear, just let him talk about their day and trying to understand is actually good enough for him. Even though it sounds like too little, but at the end of the day of physical training, all he wants to do is talk to you and sometimes to just listen to your voice as well(:
2. Trust him
Letting him know that you trust them is quite an important thing, after all, he wouldn't want to hear that his girlfriend has trust issues and it can be quite frustrating for him. And girls, they're mostly guys in there. So what's there to worry about? (:
3. Let him decide what to do on the weekends
You can always make suggestions but ultimately let him choose. Sometimes he just wants to stay at home because he's been through tough training the whole week, and he also wants to spend time with his family, alongside with you. There was a time when Moses said he just wanted to stay home and have dinner with his family so I just went along with it.
4. Write letters for him
I didn't manage to write to him for field camp, but if you go to the enlistment with your guy, you can ask them for 1 envelope for yourself. I didn't know I could do that so I didn't ask and I had no idea when Moses' family was going to send so I just sent a short text to Moses before he went for field camp. For me I tend to hand write letters to Moses as it has a personal touch, to encourage him. He appreciates them a lot and some of the letters he leaves it in camp where he stays in for the week.
5. Do things together on the weekends
Try to bake or cook together on the weekends. Moses and I baked cookies together once and because he could bring in food to the camp, we baked like 2 batches of our own edited recipe of chocolate chip cookies. It was quite fun honestly.
6. Make the most of time together on the weekends
As you already know, the time that you get to spend together with him will be very limited. I know girls have their bad days but still try to not let that get in the way(:
I think that's about all that I have(:
Next post would probably on eczema.
x
Let's start from BMT (:
Honestly the time from after Moses graduated, well when we both graduated from polytechnic, it was full of new experiences, like both of us finding jobs to earn money. But the crucial point was I think about a month before he was going to enlist? Things got a bit more edgier, for me I guess I was not very comfortable thinking that I was only going to see him only maybe once a week or not at all, given that at that point of time I was working full time in a laboratory. I think what kind of helped was cutting down the time we spent together during poly, like we were meeting each other every single day in poly including saturdays and sundays because sunday is Church day and at that point of time I already started attending church with Moses.
We tried not to find each other or we lessened the time we saw each other in school because it was our final year in poly and I had Final Year Project and he had modules and internship. His internship was during the first half of the year, so it was a huge transition because they could only mean that I would only see him during the weekends. Or if we were even lucky that he finishes internship early for that day he could come down and see me at school and we would go home together. So during the second half of the academic year, I got busy with more things to do in FYP and had to start preparing for the FYP report, while Moses also had a FYP to do and with his modules. So if he had to go off earlier he would come by to the laboratory in school (I was doing internship-linked FYP in school so I was in school doing FYP and spent all my time in the labs) to tell me that he was gonna go home first.
So with this little transition we sort of got used to only seeing each other maybe once or twice a week, sometimes slightly more. But as the enlistment date started to inch closer, I got more insecure. I was scared that he would leave me (for what I also have no idea why) as there were so many rumors and stories about young couples breaking up during the time when the guys go to army. I was worried that because of the time we were able to see each other was gonna be cut down so much, I feared for the worst for this relationship. I knew that during this period I won't be able to call or text Moses as much as I want to, I can't do it freely, as in he wont be able to reply freely because they will be busy training. We definitely talked this out and Moses assured me that there's nothing to worry about, honestly it's all just guys.
On enlistment day, I took leave to go with him to tekong with his family. Although I felt like I wasted hours of my time there because most of the time we were separated from each other. But the breaking point was when we had to say our goodbyes, not going to see him for 3 weeks confinement, was so painful for me. I held back my tears because I didnt want him to worry about me, but in the end he told me he knew I was tearing up already.
The 3 weeks of confinement was a new experience to us, not being able to talk to each other freely. But what helped was looking forward every night to the phone calls. It was my most treasured time I had with Moses and he would tell me what happened that day, what he was facing. It helps me to understand what he was going through and I know being there for him and listening to him was good enough for him.
As the days go by, it was kind of manageable because being able to hear his voice at the end of the day made everything so much better. And getting to see him on the weekends was always something to look forward to after a 5 day work week. However, there are days that don't go as well for me, especially when I need to talk to him urgently and needing his comfort, he can't be there for me and only I can wait for his call at night. Also, during his field camp for a week was the worst because there wasn't gonna be any calls for the whole week. Also the night before his field camp started, the last phone call he could make before the field camp was very very rushed. Because, my parents insisted on catching Ah Boys to Men ON that very night and insisted that I go too when I have already watched it once. So I had to answer the phone call outside the cinema, I nearly cried.
POP was a day for the recruits that they were happy about because after that would be their new vocation and new experiences, whether they would go to Officer Cadet School or other places like medics. And the boys had a one week break from army. Sort of like a short holiday. It was also a day that I felt so proud of Moses for being able to go through BMT and finally passing out! Also, it was a day that I never ever got up so early before. HAHAHA. Even though the whole thing was sweaty and smelly, I was just glad to be there to share this moment with Moses.
Moses eventually got posted to OCS, so so proud of him! It is not easy to make it into OCS, to be eligible to get into OCS, one must obtain a Gold award for IPPT. Eventually Moses signed on with the AirForce.
Things from there started to go smoothly because after his training for OCS airforce was finishing and with the social night dinner, commissioning... then he was off to his next vocation. I guess really the hardest part was the beginning during BMT and field camp, but from then it was quite alright as both of us gotten used to it. His next vocation allowed him to go home everyday which was better, sometimes if possible we would meet in the evenings for dinner, but that was very rare given that I had evening classes to attend, and I need to use the time after work to study if there weren't any classes scheduled that evening.
Moses has now gone into studying at NTU, he's staying in Hall which is sort of nearer to me but it's the other end of the country for him hahahahaha! We meet sometimes during the week, but during his and my exam week we don't meet up because us meeting up means not studying already. So to let each other focus and do our best for our exams, we tend to not meet up unless for dinner only on rare occasions. We still meet up on Saturdays, but nowadays because I am in my final year of school, some weekends I have full day classes so we only can meet for dinner. Other than that, it's pretty alright (:
As a girlfriend, no doubt it hasn't been easy, but what we should do as girlfriends of those going through army, is to;
1. Be his pillar of support
Just be his listening ear, just let him talk about their day and trying to understand is actually good enough for him. Even though it sounds like too little, but at the end of the day of physical training, all he wants to do is talk to you and sometimes to just listen to your voice as well(:
2. Trust him
Letting him know that you trust them is quite an important thing, after all, he wouldn't want to hear that his girlfriend has trust issues and it can be quite frustrating for him. And girls, they're mostly guys in there. So what's there to worry about? (:
3. Let him decide what to do on the weekends
You can always make suggestions but ultimately let him choose. Sometimes he just wants to stay at home because he's been through tough training the whole week, and he also wants to spend time with his family, alongside with you. There was a time when Moses said he just wanted to stay home and have dinner with his family so I just went along with it.
4. Write letters for him
I didn't manage to write to him for field camp, but if you go to the enlistment with your guy, you can ask them for 1 envelope for yourself. I didn't know I could do that so I didn't ask and I had no idea when Moses' family was going to send so I just sent a short text to Moses before he went for field camp. For me I tend to hand write letters to Moses as it has a personal touch, to encourage him. He appreciates them a lot and some of the letters he leaves it in camp where he stays in for the week.
5. Do things together on the weekends
Try to bake or cook together on the weekends. Moses and I baked cookies together once and because he could bring in food to the camp, we baked like 2 batches of our own edited recipe of chocolate chip cookies. It was quite fun honestly.
6. Make the most of time together on the weekends
As you already know, the time that you get to spend together with him will be very limited. I know girls have their bad days but still try to not let that get in the way(:
I think that's about all that I have(:
Next post would probably on eczema.
x
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